Kruise Nite
season off
to busy start
By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — Think Elvis. Think Springsteen’s "Jersey Girl." Think 1965.
Add to that mix some denim and boots, lots of leather, a barrage of bandannas, signature jackets and a ton of classic cars and shiny motorcycles, and you have opening night of the Kruise Nite season.
On May 29, the streets of the borough were transformed into a playground for "kruisers" and those who aspire to be one, as well as for those who came to witness the sights and sounds of the night that car buffs wait for all winter.
Colorful metal and dazzling chrome, live music and countless vendors brought the crowds back to Freehold. Kruise Nite is now in its 14th year.
Classic cars with colorful metal polished up to its Sunday best line Main Street on the last Thursday of each month from May to September.
If Mother Nature cooperates, as she did on this opening night, Kruise Nite can provide a spattering of almost everything necessary for a great outing, all within a radius of a few blocks.
The event that was started 14 years ago by the Freehold Kruisers car club is now sponsored by the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce and the Freehold Center Partnership with a little help from the Borough Council.
Kruise Nite has grown bigger and bigger every year, according to Pete Zaklukiewicz, president of the Freehold Kruisers.
Zaklukiewicz remarked that there was "hardly any more room on the sidewalks to walk."
The event, according to the president, was started as a way to make money to help feed the hungry.
The event continues to raise money for the Open Door Food Pantry in Freehold and, according to Zaklukiewicz, the proceeds from raffle tickets will buy Christmas gifts for at least five needy families in the Freehold area.
Large plastic buckets were placed on Main and Thockmorton streets and throughout the night remained filled to the brim with donations brought to the event by visitors.
The borough’s "restaurant row" was filled to capacity as diners packed the cafe-style outdoor tables of every restaurant and eatery along Main Street.
Music filled the evening air on three sides of town. Standard oldies were pumped out from large amps as DJ "Wolfman" Jerry Burst spun the tunes. If updated rock and roll was more your style, live classic and alternative rock blasted at the edge of both sides of Main Street.
Marty’s Powerhouse Blues band entertained folks in the parking lot behind the Hall of Records while the sounds of American Pie and Mike Penny rocked the guests on Throckmorton Street.
The entertainment on Throckmorton Street was courtesy of Bill Kinsey, of Hometown Hand Car Wash, Throckmorton Street. Kinsey, always a willing participant in the event, also provided games, give-a-ways and balloons and, as always, provided tables and chairs for those who had a mind to sit a "spell," listen to some great music and engage in some old-fashioned fun.
Cars, music and food were not the only fare available for guests to view, however.
CentraState Medical Center sent a mobile unit. The giant van, manned by health awareness employees Robert Sposato and Shirley Davis, offered free blood pressure screenings and medical information.
Center Playhouse on South Street offered entertainment for people who strolled past. Inside the theater, under the direction of Bernice Garfield-Szita and her husband, Robert, dramatic readings were on tap. The couple, who operate Contemporary Counseling and ActionArtz center in Marlboro, will be presenting entertainment at each Kruise Night.